A latest study, and the first to evaluate vision in pellet-injured eyes, has revealed that 59.3 percent of the victims suffer visual impairment of “various degrees”, among them 36.7 ending up with “severe blindness”.
The study at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar haslent scientific support to the fears about lethality of the metallic pelletshotguns widely used by security forces in Kashmir against protesters. Thestudy included 643 patients out of the 1066, who were admitted to SMHS HospitalSrinagar between July 2016 and January 2018, with eye injuries suffered due topellet shotguns.
Of all these victims, 21 had injury to both eyes, thus makingthe total number of eyes studied 664.
The researcher found that in 59.3 percent of the studiedeyes, there was visual impairment of “varying degrees”. The data compiled forthese injuries reveals that 10.8 percent eyes were “completely blinded” by pelletshot gun injuries. In these eyes, there was “no perception of light” (PL),implying that the victims could not perceive bright light shone into their eye.
In another 25.9 percent eyes, the vision was limited to”perception of light or visual acuity less than 1/60 – category-4 blindness”.Visual acuity of 1/60 implies that the affected eye can see an object at 6meters, what a normal vision would make visible at 60 meters.
Thus, category 4 and above blindness was suffered by 36.7percent eyes or 1 in every 3 injured in eye by the shotgun.
In addition, 5.3 percent ended up with severe visualimpairment, while 4.5 percent had category-3 blindness, described as visualacuity 3/60 and 1/60.
In the remaining 40.7 percent eyes, there was no, or mildvisual impairment.
At least 32.1 percent of the studied group had sufferedclosed globe injuries – those where eye wall had not ruptured, while the resthad open globe injuries, involving perforating trauma to one or more layers ofthe eye. Of these, about 85 percent had suffered severe injuries – grade D andgrade E.
The study titled “Clinical Profile and Visual Outcome ofPellet Gun related Ocular Trauma” was carried out by Dr Faisal Qayoom Shah ofpostgraduate department of ophthalmology at the GMC, under guidance of ProfTariq Qureshi. The aim of the study, carried out over a period of one and halfyear, “was to characterize clinical profile of such eye injuries, determinevisual outcome and evaluate various factors affecting visual outcome”.
Theinjuries were classified and ocular trauma score deducted using Birmingham EyeTrauma Terminology and Ocular Trauma Classification System.
A senior ophthalmologist at GMC Srinagar said thatconsidering limited data on eye trauma by pellet shotguns, the research assumessignificance for practitioners in Kashmir and outside involved in treating suchinjuries.
The researcher has been able to demonstrate how site of theentry wound has significance in determining the visual outcome of such aninjury, while also highlighting the role of well-timed, and well-carried outvitreo-retinal surgery in reducing visual impairment.
The youngest victim studied is aged 5, while the oldest oneis aged 59 years. Of the studied eyes, 9 were of female victims. The mean ageof the study population is 22.5 years. These people were injured by two typesof pellets, as per the researcher – 2.01 mm and 2.26 mm diameter, the studystates.